Apparatus for curing cheese



June 27,1933. C E 1,915,487

APPARATUS FOR CURING CHEESE Filed Dec. 2, 1930 gwwmloz z, Clair. fife re 1 QED g Patentbd June 27, 1933 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLAIR M. GERE, OF BELFAST, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO NATURAL CHEESE CORPORATIONQ OF DOVER, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE .APPARATUS FOR CURING CHEESE Application filed December 2, 1980. Serial No. 499,601.

This invention relates to the process of Figuretisa horizontal section taken along curing cheese and other products amenable the l 1ne of Figure 3, and to aslmilar curing process, and to apparatus Flgure 1s a vertical fragmentary elevaby means of which this process may be cartion of the container. I 5 r1ed out. o Before adverting-to a description in de- One of the objects of this invention is the tail of the several figures it may be stated curing of the cheese in an atmosphere of that the usual method of curing cheese is to carbon dioxide autogenously produced, set'the molded cheeses on shelves in a curing whereby oxygen is excluded from the cheese room and to permit them to become sea- 10 so that mould growth is suppressed on-the soned While exposed to the atmosphere.

' surface of the cheese or in such fissures as Tl11S method is uneconomic for a number of may occur in said surface. reasons among which is the fact that the Anotherobjcct of the invention is the isocheese 1s a good culture for mould growth lation of the cheese from atmospheric air 1n the presence of the oxvgen of the air, so while curing,avoiding the formation of rind h t In the course of curing, the cheese be- 65. and shrinkage-due to evaporation. comeslnvested on its outer surface and in Still another object of the invention is the Such fissures as y occur In 1tS.ma$S, Wlth a provision of a container for confining cheese h ld growth, which under certain condi' and for determining t i d ti f th trons optimum for said growth may extend cheese by an envelope of carbon dioxide, to g ut the texture of the cheese. the exclusion of air, the carbon dioxide be- Another dlsadvantflg? of curmg the Cheese ing produced by the normal fermentation of. g Presence 13 the shl'lnkflge due the cheeri h tint filfilitii tt iiid iti tlitifii itiiiit i113 f the invention is t e v r 5 prii i di i gf g i i eplacle fitting the cheese must be subsequently removed y the p and having a relief valve. opening agei 1 323 f the cheese, and representlng a total an excess pressure of carbon dioxl e 1n sa1 th t y e presen invention a cur1n rocess a P z b i of is provided by which all of these d is iidvan- 30 atmospherlc an to sal 00113111 the tages are obviated. 'The present process emi l 9 13 1 Oblect 9 thefmventlofn ls braces the princlple of inundating the cheese pr0v1S1 I1 111 Sa1d c0nta1ne.r 0 means or in an enveloping atmosphere of carbon dioxtectlng th Valve from bemg occluded by t idegas to the exclusion of atmospheric air cheese should the latter, through puffing, r1se o that the Oxygen not being present 35 to the level of the valve.

rowth ofmould is entirely suppressed. Other ob ects of the invention will appear *fpurthermorthe process provides for the as the following d?S.cnpt1On of a preferred confinement of the cheese in a close fitting andp F- thereof Proceeds chamber so that evaporation does not take. In the drawing in Whlch the Same reference place and therefore shrinkage and the for- 40 characters h been used throughout the mation of a rind does not occur. Preferably several figures to deslenate ldttntlcal sthe envelope of carbon dioxide is produced A and embodim of h llt through autogenously through the natural fermentawhich the processes may besFbe carried out, ti f th h is shown, in which Referring now in detail to the several fig 45 Figure 1 is a vertical sectlon, partly 1n ures, the numeral 1 represents a receptacle elevation, of the contamc 1 r for holding the preformed cheese. Y The di- I Figure 2 is a cross section taken along the mensions of the receptacle are determined 'line,2-2 of Figure 1. with respect to the size of the cheese so as to Figure 3 is a vertical section through the fit it closely and thus avoid the presence of 50 i relief valve. any air pockets of considerable magnitude.

and its lid by-pouring a molten sealing sub-.

stance such as parafiine, into the channel 3.

Any suitable means may be employed for securing the lid to the receptacle, such for instance as the tumble bolts 6 which, as

shown, are ivotally mounted in lugs 7 arranged on t e' sides of the receptacle. The tumble bolts 6 enter slots 8 formed in extensions 9 providedon the lid 4.

A relief valve' which in general is designated by the reference character 10 is pro-.

vided in the lid 4. Said relief valve may consist of the casing 11 which is screwed or otherwise secured to said lid and which has a bore ,12 communicating with the chamber of said receptacle.

The casing 11 is provided with a flat annular surface 13 on which is seated the valve proper, consisting of two discs preferably of rubber and preferably cemented together, and the lower disc being preferably cemented to the annular surface 13. The lower disc 14 has a small slit 15 punched in the middle thereof. The upper disc 16 has a hole 17 with which the slit 15 in the lower disc registers. A screw plug 18 bears upon the upper face of the disc 16, said screw .plughavmg a vent 19 communicating with the hole 17.

The hole 17 functions to permit the lower disc 14 to belly outwardly under pressure from beneath, and so to open slightly the slit 15 and to permit escape of excess pressure of carbon dioxide from the receptacle. Under normal conditions, and when the excess pressure has been relieved, the disc 16 resumes itsplanar form and the slit closes, preventing atmospheric air from entering the receptacle.

In operation, the cheese is placed in the receptacle, the latter closed by the-lid and the joint between the lid and receptacle luted by hot parafiine boring into the channel 3. Since the cheese fits the sides and bottom of the receptacle, there are no large air spaces which might resist the incursion of the car-.

bon dioxide gas andwhich might, therefore, act as nuclei for mould 'fermenation. The cheese is kept at the proper temperature to promote normal fermentation and in the course of fermenting carbon dioxide gas-is produced which fills such interstices as may exist between'the cheese and the walls of the receptacle or in-the fissures of the cheese itself. The inundation of the cheese by the carbon dioxide envelope displaces the residual air or diffuses with it to such an extent that it cannot support mould propagation. When the carbon dioxide gas hasaccum'ulated to the point beyond which an undesirable pressure through the valve by bellying out the central portion of the disc 14' in the manner hereinbefore described. The return of the valve to its normal closed position prevents the entrance of atmospheric air and avoids dilution of the carbon dioxide envelope.

The confinement of the cheese prevents material evaporation of moisture therefrom and in consequence suppresses the formation of a rind. It may sometimes happen that when exposed to excess temperature during the curing process the cheese might puff, rising to the top of the receptacle and occluding the valve so as to prevent it subsequently from functioning. In order to avoid this contingency a shield or a baflle 20 has been provided which is preferably 'of dished sha e, presenting its convex side to the cheese. he

shield is preferably formed of resilient ma- 1 terial and is slightly smaller in diameter than the mouth of the receptacle. It may be cut away as indicated at 21 in Fi re 2 to provide communication between t e valve and that part of the receptacle below the would be produced, it is vented.

shield, in' which the cheese is located. The

shield preferably rests on the top of the cheese and rises with the cheese as the latter ufis, finally comin into contact with the id. ,Further rise 0 the'cheese flattens the shield so that it finally lies flatagainst the bore 12 of the valve, preventing the bore cheese from gaining access to said shield 20 As fermentation subsides, the

resumes its original sha and position.

While I have in the a ve description disclosed what I believe to be preferred and practical embodiment of novel apparatus through which my curing process may be practiced, it is to be understood that the details of construction as shown are merely by way of example and not to be considered as limitative in their bearing upon the scope of the invention as claimed.-

What I claim as my invention is: e 1. Apparatus for curin a preformed cheese comprising a receptac e, a lid making a fluid-tight joint with said receptacle, a relief valve at the top of said receptacle, and a shield between the cheese and said valve and out of contact with said valve for rotecting the latter from being conta by said cheese.

2. Apparatus for curing a preformed cheese as claimed in claim 1, said shield being of resilient material, and a dished shape wi the convex side adapted to rest upon said cheese, said shield being of somewhat smaller size than the mouth of said receptacle, whereby when pressed by the rising of said, cheese it functions by flattening towards the lid of said receptacle.

. 3. Apparatus for curing a' reformed cheese comprisin a receptacle wi 'n which said cheese close y fits, means forminga peripheral channel at the mouth of said receptacle, a lid having a flange entering said chan- V nel, means within said channel forming'a lute for the joint between said lid and rece tacle, and a relief valve in said lid comprlsing a flexible member having a slit normally closed when said member is in unstressed condition, said member being adapted to distort in the region of said slit under excess pressure within said receptacle for opening said in si ature.

- slit..

In testimony whereof I aflix CL'AIR 

